Wings of Fire: Complexity's Shadow
Prologue: Rageflight shoved several silver discs, the weapons of the NightWing assassins, into his bag along with a neck guard, a set of metal talon covers, several ropes, and a sack about the size of a dragon's head. All necessary for assassinations, at least from what his father, Avarice, had told him. As he finished packing, his mate, Thunderwing, came into the room. Rageflight hated Thunderwing with all his heart, and thought that his father's decision to marry him off to the most idiotic, most boring, most annoying NightWing on the NightWing Island, or even all of Pyrrhia, was a horrible choice. "I just wanted to know when you'll be back, especially since-" "Shut up, you worthless excuse for a NightWing!" Rageflight roared, pushing past Thunderwing to get to the main room of their house. Rageflight allowed the bag to settle around his neck. "While I'm gone, do not touch anything that's mine, do not go in my room, and do not leave this house." "What if I need to get something that is located outside the house?" "You won't. But since you have the audacity to question my orders, come with me." Rageflight stalked back into his room, and opened his big storage chest. After digging around in it for several minutes, Rageflight produced two wing bindings, like the ones the RainWing prisoners had on, a neck collar, and a long chain. After he got all of that stuff, he stormed into back into the main room. "In answer to your first question, worm," Rageflight whirled and slammed his tail into Thunderwing's underbelly. She collapsed, winded. "I will be back in a week." He slammed his tail into the side of Thunderwing's head, knocking her out, before he folded her wings over and shoved them into the metal wing clamps. After attaching the collar to the chain and the chain to the wall, Rageflight dragged Thunderwing over and clamped the collar around her neck. Stepping back, Rageflight nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned and left to receive his next assignment. Chapter One: The Prisoner Complexity woke up groggily in a cell. Her wings were folded over and bound in metal clips, and her talons were shackled to rings on the floor. A muzzle kept her jaws clamped tightly shut. Her neck was clamped uncomfortably in a metal collar that was hanging from the ceiling by two separate chains. On the bottom of the collar were two chains that connected to the shackles on her wrists. The clips on her wings had chains on them that attached to rings on the floor. In other words, Complexity was totally helpless. Her cell was in a circular room that had cells stacked on top of each other, with barred entrances and solid walls cut into the rock around them. The cells on the bottom two levels were mostly occupied by various species of predatory mammals, who all had iron collars on their necks, which were attached to the calling by one long chain, so that they could move a little more than the other prisoners. All the animals looked malnourished, and some even had entire patches of hair, or fur missing. On the next two levels were various birds of prey with flimsy looking chains on their legs. Several scavengers were also imprisoned on that level. On the last five levels, the cells were occupied by at least one member of ever Pyrrhian dragon tribe. As with all the other levels, the dragon prisoners were chained, although more heavily than the non dragon prisoners on the lower levels. Each level had dragon sized walkways extending from the cells to a large iron trapdoor like thing in the center of each level. An entryway above the top level of cells provided some light to the dungeon, but it was otherwise lit by several coal niches placed at various intervals along the walls. Complexity was on the second lowest level of cells containing dragon prisoners. As Complexity watched, four jet black NightWing guards flew down to the cell exactly across from Complexity and entered the cell. After several moments, they came back out with a gray RainWing who had soulless, slightly glowing red eyes, ripped wings, and a heavily scarred body thaat was covered with dried blood. While two guards flew her up to the entryway, the two other guards flew over to a cell on Complexity's left. After a while, they came out with a writhing, snarling NightWing with eagle-like forearms and black feathers on his neck and wings. After several minutes, four more guards flew down and helped drag the angry feathered NightWing up to the entryway. The other prisoners were silent. Waiting for what would happen. After several seconds, a voice rang out from the beyond the entryway. Complexity growled softly through the muzzle, suddenly terrified. It was him. The dragon who haunted her nightmares and who stalked her every waking thought. Despite her fear, she forced herself to listen. "Presenting a fight between my unruly pet, Nevermore of the NightWings, and Soulless of the RainWings. No, you are not allowed to kill him. Claws up, teeth ready, fight!" With that, the fight began. Chapter Two: The Pet The voice fell silent as several scuffling sounds took it's place. Then, a medium pitched, hoarse voice spoke. "Let's play a game. It's my favorite game, actually, and I always ''win. Of course, since I can't kill you, I'll have to modify it a little." "W-why are you talking to me?" A deeper, nervous sounding voice asked. "Because it stops me from killing you right away. But, enough of that. The game is called ''Kill or Die, and the object was that you run around screaming until I catch you and kill you! It's not that hard. But since I can't ''kill you, I'll just have to resort to pinning you instead. If I pin you, you're dead, and you've lost." " What if I win?" "No dragon has ever done that, and no dragon ever will. On the count of three. One...Two...THREE!" ￼ The scuffling resumed, and soon there was the sound of a dragon being slammed something that sounded like a wall. "You've lost, NightWing." snarled the voice of the RainWing. After several seconds, the RainWing was brought back into her cell, blood on her talons, legs, underbelly, snout, and tail. Two NightWing guards brought in a bucket of something that looked like water, and several long strips of some sort of material, probably bandages. The task that the guards were doing was obvious, although, it didn't seem easy, considering what the RainWing had probably done to the feathered NightWing. After several minutes, the guards came back out, this time with only the bucket, which was empty. Then two guards brought the NightWing, who was limp, back to his cell. After several moments, they came out again and started toward Complexity's cell. Even though she could hardly move, Complexity backed up and growled through the muzzle. Six guards poured into her cell and unhooked the chains on her wing clamps, ankles, and wrists. They also unhooked the collar from the two chains attached to the ceiling, and attached a chain to the front of the collar, then dragged her out, muzzled and all. Although she struggled, the guards were stronger than her, and shoved her through the entryway into a darkly lit arena. There were several dragons in the stands, most of whom she recognized, though there were three who she didn't. The guards chained Complexity to a ring in the center of the arena, removed her muzzle, and backed away. Then a medium sized, imposing NightWing flew down and smiled at her. His gray green, bloodshot eyes were cold, and full of malice. He hated her, and she knew it. '''You.' his eyes seemed to say. He turned toward the dragons in the stands, and spread his wings. His wings were all black with a few blue stars scattered on their undersides. "Welcome fellow NightWings, guards, masters, and pets! This is simply an announcement that, as my fellow masters will know, my experiment, the halfbreed known as Complexity, has finally returned to me! At last, she realized that my wings are the safest place for her to be. The outside world is a cruel place, is it not, Complexity?" "''You are as intelligent as camel dung!" ''Complexity signed, glaring at the NightWing. One of the dragons she didn't know, a sky blue NightWing, smiled slightly in her direction, and covered their snout, trying not to laugh. The NightWing's master yanked on what looked like a leash which was attached to a gold collar. The blue NightWing stopped laughing, and the NightWing who was announcing flicked his tail in irritation. "That is all for today." He flicked his tail toward the guards, then in Complexity's direction, and they surged forward and grabbed her, then took her off to the side and took off the chains. One of the guards brought out a black collar with sapphires on it, and fitted it onto her neck, then attached a black leash to it, and pulled her over to the older NightWing's side, handing him the leash. "Get my other pet." The NightWing directed the guards, then turned to her, and wrapped her in his wings. Complexity felt like she was being smothered, and pushed away from the NightWing. He caught her leash and yanked her back toward him, pulling her back into his smothering embrace, and stroking her head almost lovingly, running his talons down the length of her scarred snout. "You are as beautiful as the day you... left me." he whispered. # "Master Shadowbrand." said a voice. Shadowbrand turned toward the speaker, a thin NightWing guard, who was holding the leash that attached to a feathered NightWing. "Ah, Nevermore. Come and meet the newest addition to our... group." "Yes, Master." Nevermore limped over and held out a talon to Complexity, who took it and Category:FanfictionsCategory:Fanfictions (Incomplete)Category:Content (VanquishedHydra4844)